Chapter 424: Healing a Petrified Dao Injury
Zhang Chongyi drove away all unrelated personnel.
Soon, only the three of them remained in the camp—Zhang Chongyi, Ning Zhuo, and Sun Lingtong.
Zhang Chongyi began selecting medicinal herbs.
Around the circular tent stood over half a ring of medicine cabinets.
These medicine cabinets were of magical treasure grade, possessing powerful abilities to preserve specific herbs.
Zhang Chongyi was extremely familiar with these cabinets. He swiftly selected the herbs he needed from hundreds, if not thousands, of drawers.
The herbs he chose were: Raw Earth Vine, Stone-Breaking Grass, Fire Spirit Flower, Thousand-Year Bitterwood Root, and Dragon-Scale Vine.
Raw Earth Vine was yellow-brown throughout, buried deep underground. It was warm in nature and could soften rock layers, turning them into soil.
Stone-Breaking Grass often grew alongside Raw Earth Vine. As the name implied, its blade-like leaves were as sharp as swords, capable of splitting open stone when they sprouted.
Fire Spirit Flower absorbed fire-elemental spiritual energy. Once it bloomed, it would self-immolate. Its ashes fell to the ground, becoming nutrients for the next year’s growth and flowering.
Thousand-Year Bitterwood Root was extremely cold in nature, yet hidden deep within was a trace of tenacious vitality. It was a classic remedy for combating petrification.
Dragon-Scale Vine appeared to be layered with dense dragon scales covering the entire vine. It possessed intense breathing ability and was commonly found in ancient stone mines, capable of purifying the air.
Each herb required a different method of preparation.
Zhang Chongyi soaked the Raw Earth Vine, Stone-Breaking Grass, and Fire Spirit Flower in water. The Thousand-Year Bitterwood Root he chopped and ground into pulp with a mortar and pestle.
As for the Dragon-Scale Vine, he formed hand seals and refined it with fire, burning away the vine’s core and collecting the falling dragon scales.
Finally, Zhang Chongyi precisely weighed the herbs and alternated between soaking and mixing them.
He paused from time to time to use spells for inspection. If he found certain quantities insufficient, he would add more of the corresponding herb.
In the end, he activated the Hundred Herb Harmonization Art, channeling specific mana to infuse into the mixture, ultimately producing a basin of medicinal decoction.
The medicinal juice was thick, yellow-brown in color, with specks of green light floating on the surface.
Though it looked unappealing, the decoction was piping hot and emitted a rich, earthy fragrance.
Once finished, Zhang Chongyi immediately called for Sun Lingtong to step forward.
Sun Lingtong approached him, and the latter used spiritual sense to retrieve the decoction and evenly applied it to Sun Lingtong’s petrified arm.
The medicine's potent effects spread and penetrated rapidly, softening the petrified outer layer and causing the stone skin to wrinkle and crack.
Zhang Chongyi pulled out a pouch of silver needles.
He took a slender needle and held it in his hand without moving.
Only after observing that the stone skin had softened sufficiently did he insert the needle into Sun Lingtong’s arm.
His hand seemed slow but was actually extremely swift and steady.
In the span of a dozen breaths, he had inserted over a hundred silver needles into Sun Lingtong’s petrified arm.
Zhang Chongyi formed hand seals to channel his mana.
The tails of the silver needles began to tremble lightly, emitting faint silver light.
From the silver needles, thin threads of silver light floated upward and drifted toward Ning Zhuo.
Zhang Chongyi instructed, “Young friend Ning Zhuo, just expose your wrists.”
Ning Zhuo complied.
The silver threads were as light as air, wrapping gently around Ning Zhuo’s wrists.
Zhang Chongyi continued, “Young friend Ning Zhuo, soon I will withdraw my mana. You must immediately take over, channeling your own mana along the silver threads to reach the silver needles, and through them, sense the Dao and principles within the stone arm.”
“I am not a Grandmaster of the Earth Element, so this next step must rely on you.”
“Whether or not you can comprehend the underlying principles is the key.”
Ning Zhuo's face was solemn. He took a deep breath and slowly infused his mana.
When the mana reached the silver needles, he immediately began to faintly sense something.
He closed his eyes, and in that moment, his awareness seemed to plunge deep into the earth.
“I can feel it!”
In an instant, he grasped the Earth Dao principles within.
It was the Dao of condensation and confinement, with traces of nurturing and preservation mixed in.
Zhang Chongyi silently counted the time, his expression growing increasingly worried.
He saw that the decoction on Sun Lingtong’s arm was gradually hardening. Even the bases of the silver needles had begun to show a layer of ashen stone skin.
Zhang Chongyi’s heart sank slightly: “Where exactly did this child suffer his Dao injury? The damage runs much deeper than it appears on the surface.”
“We have to hurry!” Zhang Chongyi couldn’t help growing anxious.
He looked toward Ning Zhuo.
“The injury is worse than expected. You have only half a stick of incense’s time left.”
Zhang Chongyi dared not disturb Ning Zhuo, only shouting inwardly in his heart.
But the next moment, Ning Zhuo suddenly opened his eyes wide: “Lord Zhang, I’ve understood the principle. What should I do next?”
Zhang Chongyi: ?!
Wait, isn’t that a bit too fast?
Zhang Chongyi could hardly believe it. “Young friend Ning Zhuo, you mustn’t treat this lightly. You should know that if we miss this chance, next time we’ll have to change the herb formula, pay a higher price, and the window for comprehension will shrink even more.”
Ning Zhuo nodded with a smile. “Senior Zhang, how could I joke with my friend’s life? I’ve truly grasped all the principles.”
Zhang Chongyi remained skeptical.
Sun Lingtong giggled, “I believe in Ning Zhuo. Senior Zhang, let’s proceed to the next step.”
He knew many internal secrets and was well aware that Ning Zhuo’s Earth Dao attainment was far beyond just Grandmaster level.
Thus, it made sense for Ning Zhuo to comprehend the principle so quickly.
“…Alright then.” Seeing both of them so confident, Zhang Chongyi chose to believe—for now.
Zhang Chongyi began to clean up the silver needles and remaining herbs.
Sun Lingtong sat cross-legged at the side, calming his breath and adjusting his state.
Ning Zhuo closed his eyes again, brewing thoughts, continuously formulating an appropriate spell.
With his profound cultivation, developing a spell like this was as easy as lifting a hand.
Soon, he opened his eyes and said to Zhang Chongyi, “I’ve got it.”
Zhang Chongyi hadn’t even finished packing up the herbs. He smiled, “Young friend Ning Zhuo, your talent is truly remarkable. To have devised a spell so quickly—”
“But this old man is no Grandmaster of the Earth Element. What comes next requires the use of spells to devise a method for supportive treatment.”
“Therefore, the more spells you come up with, the more I can understand the situation, and the better I can formulate a reasonable supporting method.”
Ning Zhuo paused slightly. His first instinct was to hold back a bit, but upon glancing at Sun Lingtong, he decided to speak honestly: “Lord Zhang, would three spells be enough?”
Zhang Chongyi smiled. “Three spells are more than enough. In truth, two would already be barely sufficient.”
Ning Zhuo chuckled. “Then alright, I’ve already come up with three.”
Zhang Chongyi: “Hmm?”
Ning Zhuo immediately pulled out a blank jade slip and inscribed the three spells within.
After Zhang Chongyi read the jade slip, he couldn’t help but glance back at Ning Zhuo, feeling inwardly amazed and puzzled: “These three techniques really seem legitimate. But what’s with this Ning Zhuo kid? If these spells all work, then his mastery over the earth element... seems quite extraordinary!”
He studied them carefully and discovered that the three spells addressed petrification from three different angles—ingeniously conceived, worthy of praise.
The first spell began from the heart-blood as its source, repairing the bones, meridians, and flesh in sequence.
The second spell fought petrification with more petrification—intensifying it until it exceeded its limit and crumbled on its own, turning from stone to sand.
The third spell used mana to penetrate Sun Lingtong’s stone arm, influencing and dredging from within. It maintained continuous balance, constantly stripping away the stone skin and healing itself—as if pouring clean water into a basin of murky water while simultaneously draining it, until clarity was achieved.
Zhang Chongyi pondered for a long time, then devised three supporting methods, inscribing them into a jade slip and passing it to Ning Zhuo for review.
Ning Zhuo read through the jade slip and quickly became immersed in it.
The first auxiliary method used Rotten Astragalus, Silver Dragon Bile Grass, Mountain Chuanxiong, and Golden Ginseng as the main ingredients. Rotten Astragalus strengthened the body, Silver Dragon Bile Grass cleared heat and detoxified, Mountain Chuanxiong promoted blood circulation and removed stasis, and Golden Ginseng greatly replenished vital energy—this method could be described as a blend of healing and nourishment.
The second method used Gold and Silver Starflower, Sacred Eagle Goji, Fire Bitter Shell, and Night Angelica to create pills for both internal and external use.
The third method employed acupuncture, primarily targeting the Elbow Crevice Acupoint to relieve petrification pressure and enhance blood flow. Secondary points included the Shoulder Well and Hundred Convergences to relax the muscles and regulate the flow of qi and blood throughout the body.
These three auxiliary methods greatly satisfied Ning Zhuo. He praised them heartily: “As expected of Lord Imperial Physician. These are perfectly complementary to my three spells. The combination is flawless.”
But Zhang Chongyi shook his head and listed the drawbacks of each method.
The first required long-term use of medicine, which could lead to drug accumulation and would require significant time later to dissolve residual medicinal power.
The second produced the fastest results, but the pill’s effects varied from person to person and could potentially cause muscular atrophy.
The third, while balanced and steady through acupuncture and qi channels, placed considerable strain from repeated needling. A single mistake could result in long-term blockage of the meridians.
Upon hearing this, Ning Zhuo fell silent.
He was deeply concerned for Sun Lingtong, and naturally wanted to do everything in his power to heal his elder brother.
Each of the three methods had flaws and risks. If it were his own body, Ning Zhuo wouldn’t mind. But for Sun Lingtong, he wanted to minimize danger and side effects as much as possible.
Sun Lingtong, understanding Ning Zhuo well, grinned and said, “Xiao Zhuo, it’s not that big a deal. Even if some minor affliction remains, it’s still better than my current sorry state.”
“Hurry up and treat me already. These past few days have been pure misery.”
Zhang Chongyi added, “I’ve treated Dao injuries three times myself. Young friend Ning Zhuo’s spell designs are already outstanding—worthy of astonishment.”
“From my experience, it’s nearly impossible to upgrade them to a higher level in a short time.”
“Cultivation level... isn’t something achieved in a single step.”
Ning Zhuo sighed inwardly: “But my Five Element realm—wasn’t it just built in an instant?”
“Forget it.”
He knew he had already given his all while designing the spells, racking his brain. It would be impossible to devise better ones in such a short time.
Next, Ning Zhuo and Zhang Chongyi began discussing which treatment plan to implement.
Given Sun Lingtong’s impulsive nature, he naturally favored the second.
Ning Zhuo flatly refused.
Though the second was fast-acting, its aftereffects were severe.
Zhang Chongyi admitted: he had a unique advantage in herbal formulation due to cultivating the Hundred Herb Harmonization Art, but when it came to acupuncture, his age made it difficult to maintain perfect control throughout the procedure—and any mistake could lead to failure.
In the end, Ning Zhuo and Zhang Chongyi agreed on the first treatment method.
However, they quickly ran into trouble.
Despite repeated practice, Ning Zhuo could not reach Zhang Chongyi’s standards for the first spell.
Sun Lingtong chuckled and said, “Xiao Zhuo, your cultivation level is certainly high, but you spend too little time practicing spells. Even if your spell designs are brilliant, when you cast them yourself, you end up all theory and no precision—unable to reach fine control.”
Zhang Chongyi sighed as well. “Young friend Ning Zhuo, a genius like you should have been protected and nurtured carefully by your clan, devoting yourself to study. But your Ning Family actually let you roam the world—too audacious!”
Ning Zhuo offered a few modest words, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
“I may not be able to control it myself, but I can use the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art to precisely control mana proportions. I’ll design two additional spells—one fire element, one wood element—to restrain the effects of the earth spell.”
“Fire generates earth; wood overcomes earth.”
“Through the interplay of generation and restraint, I can precisely regulate the earth spell.”
With this idea in mind, Ning Zhuo waved his hand. “Wait, I’ve got a great idea!”
How should it be said?
With deep Five Elements cultivation, he could truly do as he pleased!
Though the two new spells couldn’t directly achieve fine control, they acted like measuring tools, placing boundaries on the earth spell’s performance.
Zhang Chongyi personally witnessed Ning Zhuo conceive two entirely new spells, and his heart trembled. He cried out in disbelief, “You’re also a Grandmaster of Fire and Wood elements?”
“Could it be... you possess the innate talent of Scorched Earth Rebirth, or perhaps even the Three Elemental Lives of Wood, Fire, and Earth?”
Ning Zhuo chose to conceal part of the truth: “I do have a special talent, but it has never been clearly assessed.”
Zhang Chongyi took a deep breath and looked Ning Zhuo up and down, clicking his tongue in amazement.
Ning Zhuo deployed the three spells, while Zhang Chongyi prepared the herbs. With their combined effort, Sun Lingtong’s left arm rapidly returned to normal.
Sensation returned. Sun Lingtong flexed his left hand, his face glowing with joy.
Suddenly, his heart jolted—he sensed something unusual.
Just as Ning Zhuo was about to apply the spell to his right arm, Sun Lingtong jumped back a step, dodging.
“Hold on, hold on!” he cried.
“Boss, are you feeling unwell?” Ning Zhuo tensed up immediately.
But Sun Lingtong simply grinned and raised his left hand, showing off proudly. “Look, look—see anything different?”
Ning Zhuo extended his spiritual sense, and his expression shifted. “Boss, your cultivation method focuses on the Sea of Spirit, only slightly involving the other two dantians.”
“But now, your left arm’s flesh and bones are far stronger than before. There’s a clear disparity with the rest of your body. Why is that?”
Sun Lingtong winked at Ning Zhuo. “Xiao Zhuo, remember that cultivation technique you recently obtained by accident?”
Ning Zhuo’s eyes widened slightly. In his mind surfaced the title—
Innate Earth-Nurturing Fetal-Breath Grand Method!
His curiosity deepened.
This time, Sun Lingtong switched to sound transmission, sharing the details with Ning Zhuo: “I had nothing to do inside the Puppet Dragon, so I kept studying the Innate Earth-Nurturing Fetal-Breath Grand Method, and gradually gained many insights.”
“One day it hit me—maybe I could use this technique to alleviate my injury. After all, strengthening the body adds to one’s resilience.”
“So, I lay inside the Fetal-Breath Spirit Vessel, and let myself enter a fetal-breath state.”
“To my surprise, once the stone skin was removed, the physical strength of my left arm far surpassed that of the rest of my body. Tell me—can I use this injury as an opportunity to refine my physique?”
“Boss, you...” Ning Zhuo was speechless.
Then again, he was used to it.
Sun Lingtong had always been like this—full of wild ideas.
Ning Zhuo carefully examined Sun Lingtong’s left arm and briefly explained the cultivation theory to Zhang Chongyi.
Zhang Chongyi stroked his beard and smiled. “Using one’s own ailments to aid cultivation—there are many precedents for that.”
“For example, the Blood Shadow Cave Lord of the Six Caves Sect suffered from a blood toxin disease since childhood. By cultivating demonic arts, his strength advanced rapidly instead.”
“Then there’s Young Lord Shengxu, who was frail and sickly from birth, his five viscera extremely weak and even incomplete. But this created a Weak Qi Hollow, drawing in all external energy.”
“There are even some techniques like Vajra Invincibility Art, which require constant self-inflicted harm, forcing the body to recover, and thus grow stronger.”
“If what young friend Sun says is true, there’s no need to rush the healing.”
Sun Lingtong grinned. “Looks like this is a blessing in disguise. Xiao Zhuo, you should try it too—being petrified is a unique experience.”
Ning Zhuo’s heart stirred.